Senior Compliance Manager

About the role

Lean is hiring a 'Senior Compliance Manager' to own and lead the compliance function for Lean Technologies KSA (Lean KSA), a SAMA-licensed Major Payment Institution. You will ensure adherence to the regulatory framework of SAMA (Saudi Central Bank), act as the primary interface with regulators, and embed compliance into how the business ships products. You will hold SAMA's approved Compliance Officer position and the AML / Financial Crime Officer (MLRO) position for Lean KSA.

You will lead the compliance work streams for Lean's pending payment services and payment initiation licence applications. This role is perfect for someone who is a seasoned compliance professional with a passion for fintech, eager to play a key role at the heart of one of Saudi's fastest-growing fintechs.

This role reports directly to the Board of Directors of Lean KSA and to the Board's 'Governance, Legal, Risk and Compliance Committee' (GLRCC), with day-to-day reporting to the Group Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer and administrative reporting to the CEO. You will present the quarterly Compliance and Financial Crime report to the GLRCC and the Board and have direct, unrestricted access to both.

The KSA Compliance Officer reports to this role.

Lean is the leading financial infrastructure provider in the Middle East. We power some of the region's largest companies with APIs that enable payments, account verification, financial data access, and other critical financial infrastructure.

What started as the region's pioneering Open Banking platform and quickly became the de facto leader in account aggregation and payment initiation in the region is now becoming something bigger: a multi-product infrastructure company powering payments, data, and lending across MENA.

We've processed billions of dollars in transactions. We're trusted by 350+ clients - from Tabby and Tas'heel to Hungerstation - and backed by General Catalyst, Sequoia, and Shorooq. Our $67.5M Series B was just the beginning. We're expanding into new markets, opening offices, acquiring businesses, and building capabilities that didn't exist here before.

• Develop and implement comprehensive compliance policies and procedures aligned to the Law of Payments and Payment Services and its Implementing Regulations, SAMA's Open Banking Framework and Counter-Fraud Framework, the Financial Consumer Protection Principles and other applicable KSA regulation, and own the KSA policy set through its annual GLRCC review and approval cycle.
• Monitor and assess regulatory change across SAMA, SDAIA (data protection), and other relevant authorities, and translate it into clear, actionable guidance for the business.
• Own the KSA Compliance Annual Plan and the compliance risk assessment, and report progress against them quarterly to the GLRCC and the Board.
• Lead SAMA supervisory visits and inspections, and compliance audits (external, internal and outsourced), ensuring clear communication, a documented evidence trail and resolution of findings and of commitments made to SAMA.
• Establish and run a risk-based Compliance Monitoring Program (CMP) and periodic testing programme across all KSA operations.
• Act as SAMA-approved Compliance Officer and AML / Financial Crime Officer (Money Laundering Reporting Officer): oversee the AML/CFT program, including customer due diligence, sanctions and PEP screening, transaction monitoring and STR decisioning, and report suspicious activity to the Saudi Arabia Financial Intelligence Unit (SAFIU), in line with the Anti-Money Laundering Law, its implementing regulations, and SAMA rules.
• Own compliance with SAMA's Counter-Fraud Framework: the quarterly compliance status report to SAMA's Anti-Fraud Supervision…